


Twelfth Day of Christmas

by mightbeababygay



Series: 12 Days of Ballum-mas [12]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Canon Divergence, Cuteness overload, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Fluff fluff and more fluff, M/M, Present giving, christmas day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:24:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21940480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mightbeababygay/pseuds/mightbeababygay
Summary: The big day is here - Christmas. Ben has been building up this day for Callum, wanting it to be the best Christmas he's ever had. Now, it's time for the verdict.What Ben doesn't realise, that despite all the amazing things he's organised, the real reason this was Callum's best Christmas was the company.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: 12 Days of Ballum-mas [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559044
Comments: 4
Kudos: 114





	Twelfth Day of Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> WE MADE IT!!! Thank you to everyone who has gotten me through to the last day of this series, it's been a crazy ride! 
> 
> Shout out to the best human ever - Amy (@bensmitcheII over on the bird app that is twitter, go follow her bc she's amazing) for the help with the ending!!!!!
> 
> Let me know what you think of this part or all 40k (nah I can't believe it either) of the series over on Tumblr or twitter - @mightbeababygay

“Why the fuck,” Callum mumbled, not even opening his eyes from having been rudely awoken by the sound of Ben’s alarm. “Is that going off at four am?”

“Christmas.” Ben groaned in response, hand whacking at his phone to turn the alarm off. “Gotta be prepared.”

“For what?” Callum yawned, nuzzling his against Ben’s neck. 

“Lexi. Ian, mum. The whole lot of ‘em. It’s crazy.” Ben fumbled with his glasses, placing them on the bridge of his nose. 

“So why four am?” Callum asked, rolling onto his back, hissing at the cold sheets hit his warm skin.

“Because,” Ben grinned, rolling over on to Callum, leaning over him. “I wanted to spend some time with you first.” 

“We’ve spent nearly every minute together this month.” smiling, Callum reached up to brush his fingers through Ben’s hair. And, they really had. More than normal, they were staying over one another’s - more often than not at the Beale’s, purely so Callum could take some of the weight that was Lexi and her mayhem in the mornings.

“It’s been good though?” Ben made sure. The promise he’d made him, all those days ago at the start of the month, for this to be his best Christmas, still weighed on his mind. Not that there was anything he could do now, on the crisp morning of Christmas Day, the sun having not even broke through the clouds yet. 

“Best Christmas ever.” Callum promised, thumb brushing against the nape of his neck. 

“Yeah?” Ben grinned, dimples full on display. He couldn’t lie, this was his best Christmas too. The two of them weren’t that different in terms of their upbringing, and living in Walford - well, calm Christmases weren’t exactly a thing. Having Callum with him, fully fixated with the little bubble that was their family, it made him see a new perspective.

He’d learned a lot this year, mainly to love again. But also, that his dad’s approval wasn’t the be-all and end-all of life. And sometimes, family wasn’t always bonded by blood, but they were often as, if not more, important.

“Yeah.” 

Rolling them over, Ben on his back whilst Callum looked down at him, the covers tangled around them in a mess. He smiled fondly, unable to believe his luck still to this day that Ben was his, as he reached up to settle Ben’s glasses on his head properly. 

“Should wear these more often in bed.” He couldn't help but comment, pressing a kiss against the bridge of the glasses across his nose. “They suit you.”

“Babe, bed is the only place I do wear them.” Ben flushed under the compliment, squirming underneath his boyfriend. 

“I meant like this.” Callum pressed a lingering kiss to Ben's lips, teeth catching on his bottom one, intent clear as he pulled back, pupils dilated.

“Turn you on that much, do they?” Ben smirked, breath caught in the back of the throat from one simple kiss. It didn’t ever change, the toe-curling feeling whenever Callum kissed him, the warmth that blossomed in his chest.

“Maybe.” hummed Callum, nipping at his chin before gliding his lips against his jaw, the rough of Ben’s stumble against his lips familiar. “Got time for this, have you?” He huffed a breath of laughter against Ben’s hot skin, trailing the open-mouthed kisses down his chest. He lingered on the scar from the gunshot, a moment which felt like a lifetime ago in their story. 

“Why d’you think I woke us up this early?” hummed Ben, hand curling in his hair. “Weren’t to chat about the weather.”

Grinning against his navel, Callum couldn’t help but chuckle. “And if I wanna talk about the weather?”

“I guess you could do that.” Ben pulled Callum up, capturing his lips in an open-mouthed kiss, tongues connecting. He fumbled blindly, grasping the lube from the opened top drawer, their mouths never stopping.

Their bodies moved against each other, a well-practiced (and perfected) routine by this point of their relationship. Ben spreading his thighs wider whilst Callum snicked open the bottle of lube, drizzling it blindly over his fingers.

Tongues exploring one another’s mouths, the little moans Ben let out, deep from the back of his throat, drove Callum crazy as he glided his hand across Ben’s body. The hard skin of muscle against the softness of his tummy, lumps and bumps of scars of stories long gone but never forgotten. 

He pressed his forefinger inside of Ben, moaning at the tug of his hair. “Okay?” He gasped into Ben’s mouth, trail of spit connecting their lips.

“Y-yeah.” Ben agreed with a soft whine, pressing his hips back against Callum’s long finger. “Could do with you hurrying up.”

Callum couldn’t help but smile at Ben’s eagerness, something he was most definitely used to by now. He carefully pressed a second finger inside of him, curling and scissoring him open. He watched on as Ben’s eyes fluttered shut, face screwing up in pleasure, highlighted by the glasses still sat against his nose. Even if they were on a little wonky now. 

“C-Cal,” Ben moaned, hands grasping at his shoulders. “Ready, come on.”

“You sure?” Callum asked quietly, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Don’t need to rush.” 

“Please.” whined Ben in response, tipping his head to connect their lips together. 

Callum moaned into the kiss, actions desperate as he gently pulled his fingers out of Ben, wiping them on the covers before grabbing a condom from the drawer, tearing it open to roll down his length.

Pushing their foreheads together, one hand on the base of his cock, the other tangled in Ben’s hair, Callum slowly pressed his thick length inside of the shorter man, eyes fluttering shut as he was engulfed in the tight, hot heat that was his boyfriend. 

Ben dragged out a moan, the whisper of Callum’s name on his lips as he was stretched open. It never changed - the feeling, the emotion, of Callum entering him, their bodies connected. Ben didn’t think he’d ever get enough of it.

Dragging a sweaty palm, nails scratching lightly, up Ben’s body, deliberately missing his throbbing length, Callum connected their hands together, fingers entwined. 

“Tell me when,” Callum whispered against his lips, tension thick in the air as the heat radiated off one another under the covers. 

“Yeah,” Ben breathed out. “You can move. Ain’t my first rodeo.” He grinned at his caring boyfriend, dragging his heel up the back of his leg to hook over his hip. 

“Trust me, I know.” Callum laughed, squeezing Ben’s hands in his as he rolled his hips gently into him, a moan cutting off whatever Ben was about to say next. “Quiet, remember?”

“If they’re awake at this time on Christmas, they deserve to hear.” Ben gasped, chest pressing up against Callum’s. 

“Christmas is exactly why, fuck, exactly why’d they’d be awake.” Callum muttered with a sharp intake of breath as Ben moved underneath him, his cock sinking deeper. 

“We having a c-chat, or you fuckin’ me?” complained Ben with a whine.

“Can do both, can’t I?” Callum hummed, pressing their hands down into the mattress either side of Ben’s head as he continued to thrust lazily into his boyfriend. 

“K-kinda want your undivided attention.” Ben screwed his eyes up in pleasure, gasp escaping from the back of his throat. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Callum pressed his hips flush against Ben’s before dragging his cock back out slowly and thrusting back in; movements slow but deep. 

“Y-Yeah, fuck.” Ben whispered, their breaths tangling together as they panted. The covers pulled over their head made it all the more constricting, the two of them in a world of their own; the intimacy making every glide of Callum’s thrust, every shaky breath or moan released, all the more intense. 

“Ben,” Callum moaned, sweaty forehead pressed against one another. “Look at me.” He demanded, the slither of light peeking through the gap of the duvet highlighting Ben’s glasses-framed face perfectly. 

Forcing his eyes open, already glistening from unshed tears as he met Callum’s. “Babe…” He keened, thighs shaking.

“I know.” Callum grunted in agreement, disconnecting their hands to swipe away the tear from under Ben’s eye with the pad of his thumb. He knew what Ben was thinking, what he was feeling, even. It was a lot, suffocating under the pleasure, the emotion. 

“Callum-,” Ben gasped as he nudged against his prostate, head pressing back against the pillow, eyes squeezing shut causing more tears to fall.

“You’re so beautiful.” He reminded the younger man, catching the tears with a kiss. “God, Ben.”

“Please.” begged Ben in response, pulling his hands away from Callum’s to tangle into his hair, guiding their lips together. 

Moaning against his lips, Callum guided his hands down Ben’s body, nails scratching lightly over the hot skin as he took hold of his hips with a squeeze. “Ben,” He whined against his mouth, guiding his boyfriend’s hips to meet his own thrusts. 

“Cal, fuck please.” He sobbed, nails digging into the skin of his shoulder.

“I’ve got you.” Callum moaned, head tucked into Ben’s neck as he fastened his hips, the mattress creaking underneath them as they moved against one another. “I love you. So good for me, fuck.” 

“I’m gonna-, I can’t, Callum, fuck.” Ben stumbled over his words, eyes screwed shut and mouth dropped open in pleasure as he cried out. Bright lights burst behind his eyes, white noise filling his ears as he came across his chest, muscles quivering. 

Grunting, Callum pressed his mouth to Ben’s neck, biting down on the delicate skin as he thrusted sloppily, their hips slapping together.

“C-come for me,” Ben whined, voice shaky as Callum fucked him, his body sensitive and over-worked, even if his length pulsed once more, a dribble of come sliding down his length feebly. 

“B-Ben, fuck.” Callum drawled out, hips stuttering as he came, muscles tense as his body jerked, filling the condom.

Breathing heavily, beads of sweat dripping down their skin, they managed to find one another’s lips, a gentle kiss as they came down from their highs. 

“One day,” Ben gulped in the air. “One day you're gonna kill me.” He grinned, cheeks flushed red as his head hit the pillow. 

“‘Here lies Ben Mitchell. Death by cock’, I'm sure Jay will do us a good deal.” Callum teased, gently pulling out of his boyfriend; a shiver running down both their spines.

Legs dropping down onto the mattress as Callum rolled over, Ben shook his head. “You know how cheap Jay is? He’ll make you pay double.”

“Why am I the one paying?” Callum scoffed, shifting to get comfortable on the bed, fixing the covers over him. 

“Cos you're the one that's killed me! It's the least you could do.” Ben grabbed his discarded boxers to clean the mess from his chest before throwing them across the room into the laundry basket. 

“It's concerning how good you are at that.’ Callum commented, pushing his sweaty fringe back from his forehead. 

“Many years of practice.” Ben smirked as he rolled over to Callum, laying half on top of him. 

“You're disgusting.” Callum lifted his arm so Ben could snuggle closer, hand resting on his damp back. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Ben tucked his face into Callum's chest, pressing a kiss to his thumping heart. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

“Merry Christmas.” Callum repeated, fingers trailing up the span on Ben's back. “Your presents over at the flat. We’ll have to get it later.”

Ben grinned, dimples showing as he stared up at his boyfriend. “What did you get me?”

“Wait til you’ve opened it.” Callum scoffed in response, flicking Ben’s ear playfully. 

“But Callum.” Ben whined, jutting out out his bottom lip. 

“Nope.” Callum covered Ben’s face with his large hand, effectively hiding the puppy dog expression he’d been so weak against. “I ain’t falling for that anymore.”

“Fuck sake.” Ben grumbled, rolling off of Callum back to his side of the bed, taking all the covers with him. 

“Oi!” Callum huffed, pulling at the covers, shivering as the cold hit his bare skin. Leaning over the edge of the bed, he grabbed his discarded sweatpants and shuffled into them. “Guess I’ll see you downstairs then?”

“That’s the last place you wanna be.” Ben teased, holding the covers out for Callum to join him once more. “Lexi’s gonna be waking up in second.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Callum asked, pressing his covered leg between Ben’s bare ones as he snuggled back against him. 

“You ever been around a kid of Christmas, Callum? They’re possessed.” Ben grinned, tangling their fingers together. “Honestly, you need to get all the moments of peace and quiet you can get.”

“Not much quiet with all the nattering you do, is there?” Callum teased, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

“Shut up.” 

—

“Daddy!” 

Ben groaned, pressing his face into the pillow as he was woken up by his daughter pounding up the stairs, shouting his name at the top of her lungs.

“Daddy! Santa’s been! He came!” She exclaimed as she flew through the door, hair messy from bed and still in her pyjamas. 

“He has?” Ben propped himself up, grabbing his glasses from the bedside counter. “Clearly he’s been to the wrong house!” He teased, scooping her up onto the bed.

“Only for daddy’s presents, huh Lex?” Callum grinned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “He’s certainly not been behaved this year.”

Lexi gasped, eyes bright and wide - far too awake for six am. “Does that mean I get to have them?” 

“No.” Ben told her firmly, even if there was a smile playing on his face. “I think Santa’s brought you enough.” He tickled her ribs, grinning as she yelled and squirmed.

“D-Daddy!” She clambered over their legs, elbow digging uncomfortably into Ben’s thigh as she scrambled her way over to Callum, wrapping her arms around him. “Happy Christmas, daddy Callum.” Lexi mumbled, pressing an innocent kiss to his cheek.

“Merry Christmas, darling.” Callum smiled back fondly, brushing a hand through her hair to clear the blond locks from her eyes. “How about you come show me just how many presents Santa gave you?” He offered, knowing Ben was a lot slower at waking up than him. Taking Lexi downstairs would give me a few minutes to wake up properly.

“Yes!” Lexi shouted, causing him to wince from just how close she was to his ear. “There’s so many! I’ve got big ones and small ones and mummy said I can open the biggest one first! Do you think Santa got me a dog, daddy Callum?”

Helping Lexi off the bed as she rambled on, Callum dropped a quick kiss to Ben’s forehead before climbing out of the bed with a wink in his boyfriend’s direction. “Did you have a dog on your list?” 

“Well, no - but my friend Coco told me that sometimes she gets presents which she didn’t ask Santa for!” Lexi explained in quick succession, taking Callum’s hand and leading him down the stairs.

“Sometimes-, sometimes he gets confused and accidentally hands people the wrong presents.” Callum lied, letting out a soft noise of astonishment as he saw just how many presents Lexi had. Her pile had covered the entire length of the sofa, some even spreading across the floor. 

“So there could be a doggy?” Lexi peered up at him, eyes wide before she let go of him, dashing over to her presents to rifle through them - clearly searching for the dog that wasn’t there. 

“Lex, maybe we shouldn’t-,”

“What do you think you’re doing, Madam?”

Lexi swivelled around, hiding the present she was investigating behind her back as her father came down the stairs. “Just looking, daddy.” She grinned innocently. 

“Of course you were.” Ben laughed. “Why don’t you put that down and go wake mummy, yeah? Then we can open presents.”

Lexi nodded quickly, shouting in excitement as she placed the present back down and dashing off up the stairs. 

“Alright?” Ben stepped over to Callum, wrapping his arms around his waist, chin jutted forward as he stared up at his boyfriend. 

“Yeah.” Callum tipped his head to peck Ben's lips. “Can't believe we survived Christmas with all your whacky ideas you've had this month.”

“Whacky?” Ben raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “I'll have you know, they've been incredible.”

“Don't sell yourself short, do ya?”

“If that's another short joke, I'll-,”

“Daddy! I woke her, can we open presents now?” He was interrupted as Lexi came bundling down the stairs once more, hair done and fitted into a Christmas onesie. 

“Not yet, baby. We need to wait for everyone else so they can see what Santa got you.”

“But dad!” Lexi shouted, stomping her foot as he pouted, expression identical to her father’s when he didn't get what he wanted. “I want to open them now!”

“Listen,” Callum mumbled, taking Ben's arm and pulling him closer so Lexi wouldn't hear. “Why don't I open one with her? Give everyone time to wake up and get ready?”

“No, Cal. She needs to learn.” Ben shook his head with a sigh as Lexi continued to sulk.

Callum opened his mouth and closed it, uncertainty clear in the expression in his face. He didn't want to overstep any boundaries, especially when it came to Ben’s parental authority. And they'd been doing Christmas together long before Callum came along. He didn't want to mess up traditions. 

“Just one, yeah?” Ben sighed, giving in. “No more than that.”

He nodded his head in response, winking at Ben as he pulled back from pressing a kiss to his cheek. Callum grinned at Lexi, who was now clapping her hands in excitement, having heard the entire conversation. 

“Come on, princess.” Callum picked Lexi up, sitting her on his hip. “One present.” He grabbed the small square box he'd wrapped earlier in the month. “But first, we need to get a bin bag and put one at everyone's seat for their wrapping paper. You think we can do that?”

“Of course!” Lexi nodded her head, running off to the kitchen as soon as Callum had put her down. It was clear the only reason she was doing this was so she got her present, not that Callum expected anything less. 

\--

“Oh my god.” Ben groaned, sitting himself down next to Callum, curling up against him with his head of his chest. “I’m never eating again.”

“That better not be true because there’s loads more in the fridge.” Kathy piped up from the single seat, glass of wine in her hand. They’d finished dinner, leftovers plated up and in the fridge for any one who wanted more. Except Ben - he’d been snacking on some fancy chocolates Callum had brought over the night before, all the way up until the dinner where he then scoffed his face full, like he should do - it was Christmas, after all. 

Whining at even the thought of food, Ben turned his face into Callum’s stomach, buttons of his shirt pressing into his face uncomfortably, not that he cared. The fingers stroking softly through his hair made up for that. 

“Callum will take it home, won’t ya babe?” Ben hummed, shifting to lie on his back, stretched across the sofa, feet across Ian’s lap who pushed him off with a tutt. “Eats and eats this one; especially after he's expended all his energy.”

“Ben!” Ian exclaimed in disgust while everyone else - except Lexi, who was playing with her dinosaur set - rolled their eyes, Callum blushing red. 

“What? He's training for the police. Get your mind out of the gutter, brother dearest.” Ben smirked, poking Ian in the cheek with his foot. 

“You know exactly what you meant.” 

“Boys.” Kathy sighed in exasperation, clearly used to - and bored of - the bickering between the half-siblings. “We're trying to watch the movie.”

Grumbling under his breath, Ben looked back up at Callum, smile on his face. “You wanna get out of here?”

“And go where?” Callum pulled his eyes away from Harry Potter to look down at his boyfriend. 

“Think you owe me a present?”

“Ain't it rude, leaving like this? Makes it look like we were just here for the food.” Callum shrugged. The last thing he wanted was to come off ungrateful - like the only reason he was here was to get some food, for free. It was more than that. He wanted them - Ben's family - to understand he was here for more that. He wanted them to know he was here because, not only did he want to be, but because this was his family now. 

\--

“Go on, then.” Ben grinned, pushing his wrapped present - awfully done, with bits of paper sticking up at odd angles and far too much sellotape, over to Callum. They’d left his mum’s at the end of the movie, no longer able to put off the curiosity at not knowing what his present was, the anxiety of what he was about to give Callum, and his reaction. 

He bit down on his bottom lip, fingers curled together with sweaty palms pressed against one another as he watched on - Callum carefully unwrapping the present the same way it was wrapped, something he’d learned Callum did earlier on in the day, not that it surprised him. 

“You’re joking me, right?” Callum looked up from where he’d finally opened the box of his present. “You got me a key?”

“A key for you, so we can live together, yeah.” Ben nodded, rubbing at his eye from the nerves. “If you don’t wanna, I can-,”

“Shut up.” Callum rudely interrupted him, handing over his present for Ben. “Open it, you idiot.”

Frowning, Ben did as he was told, ripping the wrapping paper away. And there it was, sat in a small box - similar to the one he gave Callum - was a door key. “Are you serious?” He chuckled in disbelief. “We got each other the same present? I guess great minds do think alike.”

“Or I’m just rubbing off on you.” Callum smirked, leaning back against the couch, pulling Ben into his chest. 

“Now, that’s an idea.” 

\--

“Babe,” Ben raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend, watching as he tried to use the key to get back into the Beale’s. “What are you going?”

Turning around, Callum gave Ben an odd look, one full of confusion and idiocy. “What do you mean, what am I doing? I thought you got me a key so I could use it.”

“I did.” Ben smiled, closing the gap between the two of them to wrap his arms around his shoulders, on his tiptoes. “For our flat.”

“So the key isn’t…”

“No, the key ain’t gonna work.” Ben grinned, sliding his hands down to rest on Callum’s chest. “At least, not on this door.”

“You mean you got us an actual flat? Like, for you and me?” 

“Yes.” Ben laughed. “An actual flat with tables and chairs and a bedroom for you and me, and one for Lex when she stays over.”

“I love you.” Callum cupped Ben’s cheeks to press their lips together.

And if the key was pressing uncomfortably in the side of Ben’s face, well, he didn’t care because he had a boyfriend who loved him no matter what, who he loved with his whole being, and a brand new flat waiting for them, ready for the rest of their lives together.


End file.
